BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — Davis & Elkins dropped a pair of tennis matches in their home openers Saturday, with the men narrowly falling 4-3 and the women losing 6-1. The women's team falls to 2-1 on the season, while it was the first match of the year for the men.
The Senators took the Cavalier men deep into a four-hour match, seeking their first-ever win over a South Atlantic Conference team. Four of the six singles matches went to super tiebreakers.
On the final two courts, Viktor Yanev clinched his match in dramatic fashion, winning consecutive tiebreakers to claim the second set 7-6, followed by a 10-5 victory in the super tiebreaker. His win tied the overall score at 3-3.
"Viktor's opponent, Yi-Chen, came out very strong and consistent, and Viktor struggled early to find his rhythm," said head coach Mark Walters of his No. 1 player. "Still, he kept his composure for three hours and managed to hang in there until the very end. It came down to just a couple of key points. His opponent was serving bombs all day, but finally missed a few crucial first serves, and Viktor took advantage. It was a match where character was just as important as skill—a great win for him."
All attention then turned to sophomore Duarte Correia at No. 3 singles, where he had taken the first set and led 6-5 in the second. His opponent battled back to win the set in a tiebreaker, and ultimately claimed the super tiebreaker 10-6, sealing the match for the Cavaliers.
Overall, the Senators split the tight three-set matches. Philipp Fedorczuk secured his first collegiate win at No. 2 singles. However, the Cavaliers dominated the lower courts, winning at No. 4, 5, and 6 singles, where the Senators managed to win just one set across all three matches.
"It's a bit disappointing to lose all three of those matches at the bottom of the lineup since we do have solid depth," said Walters. "But we've got young players and new faces that need to build confidence, and that only comes with more matches like this. We'll improve and learn from it."
The Cavalier women controlled the day, though D&E freshman Fabienne Lahn continued her strong fall by winning her match at No. 1 singles. Erin Laubscher, Eloise Hutton, and Emi Golac all pushed their matches to super tiebreakers, but the Cavaliers won all three.
"Overall, I was pleased with the women's effort, especially their fight to force super tiebreakers," Walters said. "Much like the men, we've got new players who are working through first-match nerves. We'll focus on improving our doubles play and roles in the coming weeks."
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Up Next
Next up for the Senators is a home match against regional rival Salem University in Buckhannon on September 29. Both the men's and women's teams will play, with the first serve scheduled for 1 p.m.
